Lawmakers approved the draft proposal Friday, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles with falling birth rates and an aging workforce.

China said Friday it would raise its retirement age for the first time in decades, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles with falling birth rates and an aging workforce.

The country’s top legislative body approved a draft proposal to gradually implement the changes, state media reported Friday. China’s retirement ages are among the lowest in the world and had remained unchanged since they were set in the 1950s.

The statutory retirement age for both men and women will be gradually increased starting Jan. 1 of next year, according to the decision by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Over a period of 15 years, it will be raised from 60 to 63 for men, 55 to 58 for women in white-collar jobs and 50 to 55 for women working in factories.

  • Maeve@kbin.earth
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    2 months ago

    Largely, I might agree with all you’ve said, but farming is extremely labor intensive, and takes a significant physical toll. So farmers should get early retirement and extra benefits, because who survives without them sacrificing themselves for us?

    • Avid Amoeba
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      2 months ago

      Sorry, yes it’s extremely labor intensive in that the labor is difficult. However the number of people it takes to grow the amount of food needed has decreased dramatically over the last century. This results in the labor of a tiny fraction of the population being able to feed the rest. I don’t have problems with farmers retiring early. I don’t have problems either with reforming farming to overstaff the labor intensive parts of it, so that people don’t get broken. It’ll still require a very small proportion of the total labor available.

      • Maeve@kbin.earth
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        2 months ago

        Thank you, and those are easily actionable solutions. Thank you for a thoughtful reply.